DEFENSE, PROSECUTION IN LETELIER TRIAL FINISH PRESENTATIONS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000606730005-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 20, 2010
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: May 28, 1981
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/20: CIA-RDP90-00552R000606730005-6
ARTICLE APPEARED
ON PAGEr
THE WASHINGTON POST
28 May 1981
Defeue, Prosectition
Ltelier Trial
presentations
' Washington Poetstatt Wrlter'=:
The retrial of two anti-Castro Cubans accused of
murder in: the X976 assassination of Orlando Lete-
her drew to a close in U.S. District.Couit yesterday
.;'_'prosecution and ' defense lawyers -:focused- their
final arguments on Michael Vernon; Townley, the.
key government witness who testified That he orga-_
nixed the plot to kill Letelier.
`,Assistant U.S: Attorney E. Lawrence Barcella Jr.,
fold the jury that telephone and travel records, an
address book, letters, receipts, other-documents and
components to explode a bomb, all of which were
obtained by federal investigators - iri'the case, sup-
port Townley's testimony that he-recruited the- Cu-
bans to help him: carry out the. murder -on orders
froin the Chilean secrets police-'once known as
'JJefense lawyers Paul G'oldberger 'and Lawrence
A;- Dubin 'described Townley, an. American-born.
1)INA agent, as a' polished\liar who,:, still acting on,
orders from DINA; cooperated with U.S. prosecutors
only after he was instructed by Chilean officials to.'
iplicate the 'Cubans., The defense' contends the'
assassination .was -carried out, by Townley, DINA'
and Chile alone.
Letelier, a former Chilean ambassador, 'was a vig-
oirous, outspoken opponent of the military regime of"
Augusto Pinochet,'which -took over the' Chilean gbv-
rnment during 'bloody coup in' 1973. Townley -
testified that Chilean military officers told him Le-
telier had to be killed and ordered him to have the.-
Cubans carry out the plot to insulate the- Pinochet'"
government from any culpability., r... ,y::.:_..
-Townley, who ' was expelled from 'Chile in 1978
rid turned 'over to U.S. prosecutors, has pleaded
guilty to conspiracy to murder a foreign official and
zs-se rving'a sentence of 3'/z to 10 years.
:~~Letelier. and' an associate, Ronni Karpen Moffitt,
were. killed -on Sept. 21,1976, when a bomb explod-
~d:under'Letelier's car as it-rounded Sheridan Circle
on-Embassy Row.- The two defendants, ',Guillermo
Novo : Sampol. and Alvin Ross Diaz, :were charged-.
with . murder".and. conspiracy along'.with."two other.
Cubans, both-of whom are fugitives. Novo and Ross
were convicted of murder and conspiracy charges in
1979, . but they. were granted: a new trial on appeal.
Three Chilean 'military men; including Juan Manuel
Contreras'Sepulvada, once the head of DINA, also
were indicted in the murders, but the Chilean courts
refused td extradite them.
"=The prosecution contends that Chilean' officials,
;tinder intense pressure from the United States. in
connection with the' Letelier case, told Townley to
tell the truth- about the killings.
But defense attorney Dubin told the jury of eight
women and -four men that the prosecution "needed
-somebodies" to try. Townley, whose wife and chil
dren still live in Chile, went along with the ground
rules set up by the Chilean government so that he
could assure his return to his family and way of life
there, Dubin said.
The jury is expected to begin deliberations today.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/20: CIA-RDP90-00552R000606730005-6